To me he only looks good because he plays alongside some of the worst players in the history of the Premiership. I don't think he's poor, certainly not, but the praise he receives from the media is only because of who he plays for (of course). In a decent mid-table team he wouldn't have to work as hard as he does at the moment, a team where everyone pulls their weight. He has to cover for so many lightweights in that rag side that he appears to be overly industrious: darting about here and there because most of his colleagues can't be arsed.
I don't think he'll leave the rags because of the incredible salary he's on, but to me he's a big fish in an extraordinarily minute pond.